معرفی
Prof. Dr. Michael Mecklenburg is a Professor of Older German Literature (Medieval Studies) at the Department of German Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Kassel. His office is located at Kurt-Wolters-Straße 5, Room 3024, 34125 Kassel, with consultation hours by prior registration via Moodle. He has maintained an active teaching position through the winter semester 2024/25, offering courses including Introduction to Old German Literature and Language 1, Konrad von Würzburg, and Middle Ages in Film.
Dr. Mecklenburg's research focuses span evolutionary psychology and literature, emotionality in medieval texts, heroic poetry, early modern prose novels, medieval perception in film, ancient poetry, spiritual game, and medieval comedy. His approach uniquely combines cognitive and evolutionary perspectives with traditional literary analysis, particularly examining how emotions like shame function within medieval narrative structures. He has pioneered interdisciplinary approaches connecting medieval studies with contemporary psychological frameworks.
His scholarly output demonstrates consistent engagement with narrative theory and reception studies, with particular attention to how medieval texts handle complex emotional landscapes. The publications trend shows increasing interdisciplinary work, connecting medieval literature with evolutionary psychology, gender studies, and film studies. His edited volume Adventurous 'Crossings': Premodern Intersectionality (2017) represents a significant contribution to intersectional approaches in medieval studies.
- Evolution - Emotion - Literature. Studies on Shame in Middle High German Narrative Poems (Habilitation thesis, 2007)
- Parody and Pathos. The Reception of Heroic Sagas in Historical Dietrich Epics (2002)
- Adventurous 'Crossings': Premodern Intersectionality (Edited volume, 2017)
- The Last Judgment in European Sermons (Edited volume, 2013)
Throughout his career, Mecklenburg has demonstrated commitment to both teaching and research, with a distinctive focus on the emotional dimensions of medieval literature. His work bridges historical literary scholarship with contemporary theoretical approaches, creating new pathways for understanding medieval texts through modern psychological frameworks. He has contributed significantly to the study of emotion in medieval narrative, particularly through his habilitation thesis on shame in Middle High German poetry.
